The £1,000 bike seat is here: all the details on Pogacar's very pricey new TT saddle, plus 3D printed chamois pads, Specialized 50y Collection + plenty more

Another week, and another bunch of juicy cycling tech news stories have landed on our laps, and we're here to share them all with you. With the Olympics now in full flow, we've got news from Brompton about not one, but two special edition bikes for the Games. We also take a look at Prologo's new £1.1k time trial saddle (yep, really) that the brand developed specifically for Tadej Pogacar, the first ever bib shorts with a 3D-printed chamois pad, as well as new bikes from Boardman and fresh colourways from Specialized and Standert. We finish things off with a new Kask helmet and some Neat 3D-printed accessories, so keep reading to get all the details! 

Gore and Elastic Interface bring 3D-printing to your chamois

Gorewear has released the Ultimate Bib Shorts, completed with Elastic Interface's N3X pad technology – making these the first-ever production bib shorts with a 3D-printed chamois. The padding promises nothing less than unparalleled comfort and performance and brings 3D printing - which we've seen become ever more popular in saddles and accessories - over to cycling clothing. 

Though the unique selling point of the Gore Ultimate Bib Shorts is certainly the N3X pad, and these are the very first production bib shorts including the tech to hit the market, the technology itself is not exactly new as such. The N3X pad was already revealed at Eurobike 2022 but it has simply taken a couple of years to be honed enough to be production-ready. And now in 2024, it's finally making its debut in Gorewear’s top-of-the-line bib shorts.

Elastic Interface says the use of 3D printing allows for precise control over the pad’s density and structure, offering targeted ergonomic support and enhancing rider comfort – somewhat similar to what 3D-printed saddles claim to offer. The open-cell lattice design claims to improve airflow, wick away moisture, and ensure rapid drying.

> 3D printed cycling tech — what 3D printed bike products have taken off, and what's coming in the future?

But beyond comfort and innovation, the N3X technology is also a step forward in sustainable manufacturing. Elastic Interface says: "The N3X technology for paddings allows us to print only what we need where we need it and with bio-based materials. The result is a zero-waste production for this kind of padding and a reduced environmental impact of raw materials". 

Elastic Interface does provide pads for a host of different bib short brands, so there's potential we'll see these 3D-printed chamois more widely available soon. 

But back to the Gorewear bib shorts. Gorewear says the pair weighs a mere 178g, and as you might guess, they also have a premium price tag of £251.99 – and they are currently only available in a men's fit. That said, many bib shorts from established brands retail for even more, so if you want to experience some 3D printed comfort in your bibs, now's the time. We've asked for a pair to test too and will report on how we get along in due course. You can get yourself a pair on Gorewear's website. 

Brompton showcases two exclusive folding bike models to celebrate the 2024 Paris Olympics

By the time you read this the 2024 Paris Olympics will have kicked off, and you might have already spotted some special edition Bromptons kicking about. That's because the British folding bike brand has unveiled not one, but two unique collaborations in celebration of the Games. Partnering with both the esteemed British jeweller Mappin & Webb and Team GB athletes, Brompton has set out to impress everyone with striking looks, as well as promote sustainable travel.

Let's start with the golden creation, made together with Mappin & Webb. Each of these two bikes is adorned with over one ounce of nearly 24-carat yellow gold (worth £1,843 alone) applied through an electrochemical plating process. The creation of the bikes involved over 65 hours of hand polishing and silversmithing, with an additional 30 hours dedicated to cleaning and gold plating.

Other unique features on these bikes include hand-engraved Team GB logos, and sterling silver and gold-plated decals. These gold-plated bikes will be used by Team GB in London and Paris, and after the Games they will be auctioned to raise funds for the British Olympic Foundation, supporting future athletes. 

In a separate collaboration, Brompton has partnered with Team GB high jumper Morgan Lake and BMX Freestyle World Champion Kieran Reilly to launch a special edition P Line bike with a Team GB paint job. This bike is part of the ‘Sporting Journeys’ campaign, encouraging sustainable travel to sports events this summer, and Brompton will provide Team GB with a fleet of these bikes for use by athletes, coaches, and their team in Paris. After the Games, the bikes will join the Brompton Bike Hire network in the UK, so you could get to ride one, too! There are some of these limited edition bikes available to buy as well. 

Check out details of both bikes on Brompton's website. 

Boardman launches a bunch of new reasonably priced gravel bikes

Boardman Bikes has expanded its adventure and gravel bike range with updated ADV models and the new TRVL series. As somehow seems to be the custom for gravel things, the non-vowelly category names refer to 'adventure' and 'travel'.

The ADV lineup consists of alloy and carbon bikes with revamped frame designs, mounting points and clearance for 50mm tyres. Prices for the aluminium builds start at £850 and for the carbon at £1,800. 

The TRVL series, on the other hand, is designed for more rugged adventures and the three models come with a 40mm RockShox Rudy XPLR fork for some extra comfort over bumpy terrains. There are two drop bar and a flat bar option available, and prices start at £1,600. 

Our off-road specialists have taken a deep dive into the finer details of the new bikes, and you can head over to off.road.cc to read more. 

Prologo introduces Time Trial Predator saddle designed specially for Tadej Pogačar... and it will cost you £1,016

Prologo has launched the Time Trial Predator, a time trial saddle designed for Tadej Pogačar, who used it to win his third Tour de France title.

Said to be engineered for maximum performance and aerodynamics, the saddle was fitted on Pogačar's Colnago TT01 time trial bike and as such, surely gave the Slovenian rider those marginal gains to propel to the win. He did say he has "never felt so good on a bike", and maybe this saddle has something to do with it... 

> “No Urška, no Pogi”: Tadej Pogačar pulls out of Paris Olympics due to “being too tired” – as fans blame shock Urška Žigart omission for Tour de France winner’s absence

The Predator saddle features a carbon fibre base, and it's been developed using CFD simulations and wind tunnel tests that led to a design with side wings that conceal the rail and seatpost clamp, and a rear spoiler for optimal airflow. 

The saddle's design is said to support a more aggressive – or aerodynamic – position, with a padded tip for support and a wide central cutout to reduce pressure. The saddle weighs just 140g and if you are one to look at £/g prices, this one is high on the scale... because yes, it retails for a whopping £1,016! Apart from the name (which Prologo has given no context for), that might be another reason for a lot of us to not get this saddle. 

If you do want one, check out Prologo's website for stock.

Specialized brings out limited "S-Works Forward 50 Collection"

Specialized is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the release of the S-Works Forward 50 collection, toasting "the past 50 years of relentless pursuit of performance and style", but also striving to do the same for the next half a century (and beyond). 

The collection "encapsulates 50 years of innovation in four products that represent the pinnacle of today’s performance products", and all of those products come in special colourways featuring gold accents to mark the milestone and pink to honour the historic Team Stumpjumper bike from five decades ago.

The collection includes two bikes: the S-Works Tarmac SL8 Forward 50 LTD and S-Works Epic World Cup Forward 50 LTD, as well as a Forward 50 LTD edition of the S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3 helmets. Though, as you can see below, Specialized riders are getting all of their bikes adorned in the spesh celebratory colourway. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Demi Vollering (@demivollering)

The special edition Tarmac is limited to 250 units globally and features Rapide CLX II Team wheels and a Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed groupset. It's priced at £14,500.

The Epic World Cup is also available for just 250 lucky people and comes with RockShox SIDLuxe WCID rear shock and Roval Control SL Team wheelset at a price of £12,500.

The helmets both retail for £275 and there's no mention of there being a limited number of them available. 

Check out the full collection and make your pick on Specialized's website. 

Kask unveils Nirvana aero helmet with “game-changing aerodynamic performance”

The Italian helmet maker Kask has launched a new flagship aero helmet, the Nirvana, for performance-oriented riders seeking the ultimate way to... cover their ears. Jokes aside, the focus of this helmet is obviously speed, but its biggest design change compared to the previous iteration has been around the ears – the body part that seems to be the next frontier to conquer in the quest to be as aero as possible.  

As such, the Nirvana features quite prominent ear covers – not too dissimilar to what POC introduced with the Procen Air – and internal channelling for optimal airflow and thermoregulation. And despite the helmet being aero-oriented, Kask says safety is still paramount and the lid meets its own rotational impact WG11 test standards.

In the helmet's product presentation, though, the brand was questioned about the helmet not having a Virginia Tech helmet test result yet, and the replies from the product managers were reserved on this front - circling around the fact that not all tests measure safety in similar scenarios. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by KASK Sport (@kask_sport)

The helmet, which has already been seen on the heads of WorldTour riders plenty a times, boasts a whopping 35% reduction in aerodynamic drag and a 19% increase in ventilation compared "to the best aero helmets in its class", as well as saves 4.4 watts at 45kph compared to Kask's previous fastest road helmet, the Utopia Y. That's all according to Kask, and the brand also says much of those improvements are due to the excessive CFD (computational fluid dynamics) testing it has conducted when developing this lid. 

In terms of the structure, the Nirvana continues to feature Kask's Multipod technology for improved impact resistance and ventilation, along with Merino wool padding that was already present in the Utopia Y.

Other features include the Octofit+ adjustment system, a faux leather strap, and a sunglasses port. The helmet is available in five colours, weighs 270 grams (size M, claimed) and is priced at £320.

Standert unveils two new colours for Kettensäge gravel bike bike

Berlin-based boutique bicycle brand Standert has introduced two new colourways for its Kettensäge gravel race bike: Cherry Kiss red and Team beige. The Kettensäge draws from the racing heritage of Standert’s Kreissäge RS road bike and is built with lightweight Dedacciai Aegis aluminium tubing.

> Revamped Standert Pfadfinder all-road endurance bike gets full internal cable routing and is handmade in the Czech Republic

Key features of the Kettensäge include SLT CeramicSpeed bearings, UDH (universal derailleur hanger), and a custom-engineered Standert integrated headset. The bike can take up to 45mm wide tyres and though it lacks umpteen cargo mounts, it does have top tube snack bag mounts for mid-race fuelling.

The Kettensäge frameset is priced at €2,199 (£1,854), with complete bike options ranging from €5,399 to €7,599 (£4,533 - £6,409) depending on spec and wheel choices.

The new team-coloured bikes have already been seen in the midst of gravel racing as well, as they were part of a campaign that Standert ran during the Road to Desolation gravel race in South Africa, where the brand works with Community Connect, an initiative which brings together cyclists by sharing bikes and getting more people involved in cycling. There should be a documentary landing on all this soon too so keep an eye out for that. 

Check out the new colours on Standert's website. 

Aaron has got hold of some really Neat Components

As the name suggests, Neat Components aims to provide the rider with a neat solution for various mounting problems – rear and front lights, radars, racing numbers, storage and AirTag holders. The Danish company started through the founder’s struggles finding the perfect mounting system for his Garmin Varia Rearview Radar. Frustrated with the stock system, he called upon his 10 years of experience in 3D printing and created his own mounting system – and the rest is history.

Neat Components sent off.road.cc editor Aaron Borrill a seatpost mount for his Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 Lab71 and SystemSix. The mount is well constructed, incorporates a Garmin-style quarter-turn paradigm and weighs just 18g (the SystemSix mount is 22g). It fits the aero post like a glove and ensures integration of the highest order – no wobble, no rattle. For now, Neat Components is only making seatpost mounts to accommodate the Garmin Varia, Magicshine, Magene and Bryton and these mounts cost £23. There is no limit in terms of what the seatpost mount will fit – currently, there are over 100 options available on the Neat Components website but if there’s a seatpost out there not listed, Neat Components can create a mounting system to fit.

As visibility and safety have become a big concern for Aaron when on the bike, using a Garmin Varia has become a non-negotiable and the Neat Components seatpost mount ensures the Varia stays secure and does its job – unlike the stock mount that moves around and slips on the seatpost.

If you want to learn more, then head over to Neat Component's website. 

If you missed them, we've also covered these tech news throughout the week:

• Orbea Kemen bifurcates into urban and trekking models and switches to Shimano EP6 motor
• Is the new Canyon Aeroad truly aero? Canyon unveils all new Aeroad CFR, an all-rounder yet "the fastest bike in the WorldTour peloton"
• SkateHut launches electric BMX bike…but don’t do any stunts or jumps on it
• Tour de France bikes vs the bikes you can buy in the shops — are they actually the same?
• Van Rysel gravel e-bike and more e-road bikes on the way as Decathlon brand seeks to "make e-bikes for everybody"
• The history-making bikes of the 2024 Tour de France: check out these special yellow, green, polka dot and white bikes
• Would Pogacar win the Tour de France on a cheaper bike? Mid-range road bike vs superbike speed tested